Jagan Mohan Reddy taken into preventive custody on day 5 of hunger strike against Andhra Pradesh bifurcation

Mr Reddy was taken to the Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences



Hyderabad: Politician Jagan Mohan Reddy, who  had been on a hunger strike  for five days to protest against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, was forcibly moved to the Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) tonight after the police took him into preventive custody.

Before he was escorted away from outside his office where he has been fasting, Mr Reddy  told a large crowd of supporters "2014 will be a referendum" on the centre's decision to turn the region of Telangana into a state.

Earlier today, doctors said that the 40-year-old was severely dehydrated but he refused to end his fast.
 

In Delhi this evening, his mother, Vijayamma, met BJP president Rajnath Singh, triggering speculation that an alliance between the two parties is a work-in-progress. Recently, Mr Reddy, who was released last month from jail and is being investigated for corruption, praised the BJP's candidate for prime minister, Narendra Modi, as an efficient administrator. However, Mr Reddy urged the BJP leader to demonstrate his commitment to secularism.

Since Mr Reddy took charge of the YSR Congress party in 2011, he has proven that he is an emerging force in regional politics with strong performances in local elections.

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said that an alliance with Mr Reddy could be considered by his party after the national elections are held. But Mr Reddy has been less kind towards the party that his father belonged to.

Over the weekend, he targeted its president Sonia Gandhi for the decision to split Andhra Pradesh into two because "someone wanted their son to be Prime Minister." The reference was to her son, Rahul, and to the recurring criticism that the Congress wants to create a Telangana state for dividends in the national elections, due by May.

Strike over plan to divide Indian state cuts electricity

The police declared a curfew in some areas after protesters blocked major highways using barricades of burning tires. 

Striking workers shut off electricity and cellphone service to a large swath of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, as hundreds of thousands of government employees protested a decision to divide the state into two parts.

Last week, India's governing coalition announced that it would create the new state, Telangana, infuriating many who will be left in the remaining "rump" of Andhra Pradesh, which stands to lose tax revenues that flow into the booming city of Hyderabad. The city is now Andhra Pradesh's capital but would eventually become Telangana's after the split. The police declared a curfew in some areas after protesters blocked major highways using barricades of burning tires.

A former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu, began a hunger strike on Monday to protest the decision, telling visitors in a tent outside the state's offices in New Delhi that the government's move was politically motivated.

"If you do it for political gain, nobody will be convinced," Naidu told reporters Tuesday. "I asked them to sort out the problem, but they have created a bigger problem."

Critics say the Indian National Congress, the governing national party, took the step now because it hoped to cash in on votes in the newly formed state ahead of general elections in 2014.

India's 29th state would be in a drought-ridden inland region that has long felt marginalized by coastal elites, and its creation would come after years of passionate lobbying by its supporters, including hunger strikes and scores of suicides. Supporters say that residents of the coastal Seemandhra region, which includes Hyderabad, have monopolized state power and public resources for years, and they believe that the new state will improve their lives.

But the proposed split - which must still be approved by the state assembly and passed by both houses of Parliament - deprives the coastal region of tax revenue flowing from the cluster of industry around Hyderabad. Opponents of the plan have attacked houses and businesses belonging to regional leaders of the Congress party.

K.T. Rama Rao, a leader of a political party that supported the division, blamed regional leaders for mishandling the issue. He said many politicians who had argued passionately in favor of creating Telangana, and participated in exhaustive debates that led to the decision, were now opposing it.

"You can't change your colours seasonally," he said. "It is rank political opportunism. The people of Telangana are not willing to be fooled again and again."

Opposition to the plan comes mostly from Seemandhra, whose residents have long migrated to Hyderabad, where many services came to a halt over the weekend. Journalists in the region reported that bank machines were no longer supplying currency, and that service to tens of thousands of mobile phones went dead, exacerbating the effects of the blackout. Hospitals were operating emergency units with the help of generators, as stores of diesel dwindled, according to Indian news reports.

Telangana crisis: Am using Italian so Centre understands, Chandrababu Naidu targets Sonia Gandhi

New Delhi: Politician Chandrababu Naidu today said that since the Centre doesn't seem to understand the extent of the crisis in Andhra Pradesh, he will use Italian to explain. Mr Naidu, who heads the regional Telugu Desam Party, said that Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema are "immobilismo". For those not fluent in Italian, Mr Naidu added, "Things are at a standstill. Total standstill."

His jibe is aimed at Sonia Gandhi, the president of the Congress party, which anchors the ruling coalition at the Centre and decided last week that the process of dividing Andhra Pradesh to create a new state of Telangana must begin immediately. (Fasting and aiming at Sonia: Jagan went first, Chandrababu followed)

That move has registered high on the Richter scale, triggering huge aftershocks in the 13 districts of Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema which are the two other regions of Andhra Pradesh, and are collectively referred to as Seemandhra.
   

Mr Naidu began an indefinite fast in Delhi today to support the demand for a "United Andhra." However, he refused to answer a question on whether he thinks Telangana deserves statehood.

His political opponents accuse him of doublespeak, because in 2008, he wrote to the Centre supporting the movement for statehood for Telangana. In his defense, his party says he is fighting to protect Seemandhra's interests, and to oppose what they describe as the Centre's unilateral decision to divide Andhra Pradesh.

Mr Naidu's decision to fast in Delhi, thousands of miles from the front line of aggressive protests in Seemandhra, is being seen as an attempt to gain credibility and dispel the impression that he is following the lead of his political rival, Jagan Mohan Reddy, who began a hunger strike in Hyderabad on Saturday.

High on the list of concerns for leaders from these areas is grappling with a future devoid of the booming economy of IT hub Hyderabad, which will be a shared capital for 10 years, but will then belong to Telangana state.

There is anger against the party and us: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister

"While trying to solve a problem, Congress created a bigger one," says Kiran Kumar Reddy, describing decision to divide Andhra Pradesh as "very harsh".

Protests against Telangana, powerless in Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad:  Protests against a decision to create Telangana state have left Andhra Pradesh staring at a major power crisis. I-T city Hyderabad has been suffering power cuts since morning and several trains have been cancelled, with thousands of electricity employees staying away from work. In another city in coastal Andhra, there is a shoot-at-sight order since large-scale violence on Saturday.

Here are 10 big developments in this story:

1. Over 30,000 striking electricity employees say they will continue their protests for at least two more weeks. Their agitation has shut down six of the seven units at the power plant in Vijayawada, which meets over a third of the state's power demand.
2. The Vijayawada plant shutdown has led to a shortfall of over 3,500 megawatts, forcing authorities to resort to long power cuts in Hyderabad and several other cities. Officials even fear a collapse of the southern grid, which caters to neighbouring states.
3. "Large parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh, also known as Seemandhra, have been affected by the protests and the power crisis. Reports say ATMs are not functioning in cities like Vijayawada, while several trains have been cancelled since yesterday.
4. There is a shoot-at-sight order and curfew at Vizianagaram town in coastal Andhra Pradesh after violence and arson over the weekend by anti-Telangana protesters. Protesters allegedly set a bank on fire and damaged public and private properties.
5. Some 70,000 striking government employees have not taken their salary for the past two months, ever since the ruling Congress gave in to demands for carving out Telangana, with Hyderabad as its capital.
6. Telangana is one of the three regions of Andhra Pradesh.  The other two - the 13 districts of Seemandhra as the Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions are jointly called - are in total shutdown.
7. Factions in the Congress have alleged that the protests have the backing of Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, who belongs to Seemandhra and has publicly opposed the division of Andhra Pradesh. Sources have ruled out any action against Mr Reddy but say the ruling Congress is closely watching how the Chief Minister handles the crisis.
8. Sources say the Congress may have persuaded union ministers K Chiranjeevi and Pallam Raju not to press for their resignations. The two leaders, along with Kotal Surya Prakash Reddy had resigned as ministers last week to protest against Telangana.
9. Anti-Telangana protests have triggered competitive fasts by politicians. After YSR Congress chief Jagan Mohan Reddy, now Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu has launched an indefinite fast.
10. Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has accused both Mr Naidu and Jagan of changing their stand on Telangana, with an eye on polls next year. Both had been seen to be ambiguous about the proposed new state earlier as they drew their support from the non-Telangana regions.

Telangana crisis: Jagan Mohan Reddy fasts in Hyderabad, Chandrababu Naidu in Delhi

New Delhi: In May 2008, Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party or TDP passed a resolution supporting the decision to carve out Telangana, one of the three regions of Andhra Pradesh, as India's 29th state.

Today, Mr Naidu has begun what he describes as an indefinite hunger strike in Delhi to protest against the bifurcation of his state. His political opponents accuse him of doublespeak; his party says he is fighting to protect Seemandhra's interests, and to oppose what they describe as the centre's unilateral decision to divide Andhra Pradesh.  (Telangana crisis: 10-point cheat sheet)

Accusing the ruling Congress of "match-fixing", Mr Naidu told reporters this morning that the party" took this decision for political gains." Mr Naidu's decision to fast in Delhi, thousands of miles from the front line of aggressive protests in Seemandhra, is being seen as an attempt to gain credibility and dispel the impression that he is following the lead of his political rival, Jagan Mohan Reddy, who began a hunger strike in Hyderabad yesterday.

Last week, the union government green-lit the plan to begin the creation of the state of Telangana, a decision that registered high on the Richter scale of controversy, triggering huge protests in the 13 districts of Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema which are the two other regions of Andhra Pradesh, and are collectively referred to as Seemandhra.

High on the list of concerns for leaders from these areas is how water, power and revenue will be distributed between the old and new states. What matters most is grappling with a future devoid of the booming economy of IT hub Hyderabad, which will be a shared capital for 10 years, but will then belong to Telangana state.

After Telangana becomes a state, it will elect 21 members to the Lok Sabha, matching the number of parliamentary seats from Seemandhra. The Congress expects its decision to reward it with a sweep in Telangana that will compensate for the anger against it in the other two regions.

We want Mohabbat-nagars, and not Muzaffarnagars: Jagan tells

YSR Congress chief Jagan Mohan Reddy, who is on an indefinite fast to protest against the Centre's decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh, speaking exclusively to NDTV, says he wants the entire state to be united. "Telangana, Rayalaseema, and Coastal Andhra, I want the entire state to be united... Not right to discriminate against someone because they are born in a particular religion. Every party should become secular. We want Mohabbat-Nagars, and not Muzaffarnagars," he said.

Narendra Modi a good administrator, but he should make BJP 'secular': Jagan Mohan Reddy

Hyderabad: Jagan Mohan Reddy, who began an indefinite fast yesterday to protest against the Centre's decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh, has said that he hopes the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is able to give the party a 'secular' tag.

"How can you discriminate against someone just because they are born with a particular region. This kind of insecurity leads to internal terrorism. This situation should change and Narendra Modi should change the BJP. Every party should be secular," Mr Reddy told NDTV last night. He also said that that it is 'indisputable' that the Gujarat Chief Minister is a good administrator.

Earlier, Mr Reddy amped up his attack considerably against the Congress.

"Someone wanted their son to become PM and divided the state," Mr Reddy said referring to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and her son Rahul, who is No. 2 in the party.

The government's decision earlier this week to carve out one of the three regions in Andhra Pradesh as a new state has left the other two parts, jointly referred to as 'Seemandhra', seething with protests. Today was the second day of the strike in the 13 districts in the region.
Mr Reddy and his party, the YSR Congress, draw their support from Seemandhra.

Yesterday, Mr Reddy challenged the Congress to explain why it cannot reverse the decision on Telangana given that just last week it withdrew a contentious executive order designed to protest convicted MPs after Mr Gandhi described it as 'nonsense.'

Mr Reddy's father, YSR Reddy, was a senior Congressman and Chief Minister of the state when he died in a chopper crash in 2009. Mr Reddy exited the party, claiming he had been sidelined by the Congress.

He left jail just 11 days ago after spending more than a year in prison on corruption charges. The case against him is still being investigated.

Our engineering students won't get jobs: Jagan Mohan Reddy on Telangana

New Delhi: Politician Jagan Mohan Reddy says he will begin an indefinite fast tomorrow to protest against the centre's decision to divide Andhra Pradesh by carving out one of its three regions, Telangana, as a new state.

"Just see the plight of my state," Mr Reddy said, on a day when huge protests were held in the two regions of Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema, whose 13 districts will comprise Andhra Pradesh according to the new blueprint approved by the cabinet last evening.

"Is it justifiable to split the state without an assembly resolution? What kind of democracy are we living in when people intentionally choose to ignore the assembly?" he asked.

Hyderabad, the prosperous IT city, will be a shared capital for 10 years after which it will belong to Telangana, which factors heavily in the concerns of those fighting the new state.

"When an engineering student graduates, where will he go to get a job?" asked Mr Reddy, referencing the fear factor that Telangana will make Hyderabad jobs  off-limits for outsiders.

The 40-year-old leader asked why the decision on Telangana cannot be reversed; after all, he said, the government has just withdrawn a controversial executive order that allowed MPs convicted in criminal cases to remain in office.  

Mr Reddy heads the YSR Congress, founded and  named after his father and former chief minister YSR Reddy, who died in a helicopter crash in 2009.  When he was not chosen to replace his father as chief minister, Mr Reddy exited the Congress. He was recently released on bail after spending more than a year in prison on corruption charges.

Like other leaders who have censured the centre for dividing Andhra Pradesh, Mr Reddy alleged that the government's decision is motivated entirely by the approaching national elections. After the split, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh will have 21 parliamentary seats each. The Congress is likely to be rewarded heavily in Telangana for making it a state. The bifurcation is also expected to help the party to check the potential of Mr Reddy and other parties

Telangana fallout: Seemandhra faces power crisis as Vijayawada stations shut down

Hyderabad:  The government is grappling with aggressive whiplash over last evening's decision to proceed with the creation of a Telangana state.

Here are 10 big developments in the story:

1. Telangana is one of the three regions of Andhra Pradesh. The other two - the 13 districts of "Seemandhra" as the Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions are jointly called - are in total shutdown with shops, schools and offices closed.
2. Power supply in at least six of the 13 districts in Seemandhra has been critically hit as all but one of the seven units of the Vijaywada Thermal Power Station are closed, with employees participating in protests. Apart from Vijayawada, the neigbbouring districts of Eluru, Guntur, Machlipatnam and East and West Godavari districts are also facing power crisis. The power station provides about 120 MW power to Hyderabad as well. The authorities say since protesters are present at the power station, it is unlikely that power generation will resume soon.
3. All major routes leading to Tirupati and the famous Tirumala temple have been barricaded by protesters. The police have decided to impose prohibitory orders in the Cyberabad area from tomorrow.
4. But in some relief for the Congress, its state legislators and ministers in the Andhra Pradesh government have decided not to quit office. Instead, they say they will defeat the resolution to create a new Telangana state that was cleared by the Union Cabinet last evening.  The assembly has 294 seats, with 118 for Telangana legislators, and 175 for Seemandhra.
5. That resolution will be sent to the country's President who will then refer it to the state legislature.
6. The Centre has already made it clear that the state assembly's feedback will not be binding.
7. Union minister Chiranjeevi has resigned in protest over the green-light for a Telangana state; another, Pallam Raju, says he will quit today. (Union minister Pallam Raju to resign over Telangana decision)
8. Congress MP L Rajagopal, who is from Vijayawada, has said he will move the Supreme Court challenging the government's decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh, reports the Press Trust of India.
9. Jagan Mohan Reddy, chief of the YSR Congress which has been fighting the plans to split the state, has said that he will begin an indefinite fast from tomorrow. "Is it justifiable to split the state without an assembly resolution? What kind of democracy are we living in when people intentionally choose to ignore the assembly?" he said.
10. Hyderabad will start out as a shared capital for 10 years, after which it will belong to Telangana. Who gets to keep the prosperous IT hub has been a major headline of the controversial decision.

Union minister Chiranjeevi resigns over Telangana decision

Hyderabad: Union Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi has resigned from his post in protest against the Cabinet's approval of the formation of separate Telangana.

The actor-turned-politician faxed his resignation to the Prime Minister's Office on Thursday night. He will meet the PM today.

Chiranjeevi, who hails from Coastal Andhra, felt anguished over the way the protests in Seemandhra regions, going on for over two months, against the division of Andhra Pradesh were handled.

He has come under intense pressure from the "United Andhra" supporters in the Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions following the Congress Working Committee's endorsement of separate Telangana demand on July 30. (Cabinet nod to Telangana triggers resignation threats, protests, bandhs in Andhra Pradesh)

The "United Andhra" supporters have often demanded that Chiranjeevi quit his post to mount pressure on the Congress leadership towards halting the division of Andhra Pradesh.

Big step likely today for creation of Telangana, future of Hyderabad

New Delhi/Hyderabad:  This evening, the cabinet is likely to take a major step forward in the carving out of a separate Telangana state from Andhra Pradesh.

    Here are 10 developments in this story:

1. The cabinet will review a note prepared by the Home Ministry that outlines the plan for how Andhra Pradesh will be bifurcated.
2. Sources said as originally shared by the government, Hyderabad will be a shared capital between the old and new states for the next 10 years, after which it will belong to Telangana. Who gets to keep the prosperous IT hub has been a major headline of the controversial decision by the centre to make Telangana India's 29th state.  
3. The two other regions of Andhra Pradesh - Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra, referred to as "Seemandhra" - are bitterly opposed to the division of the state.  
4. The cabinet will adopt a resolution on the creation of Telangana, which will then be sent to President Pranab Mukherjee, with the recommendation that he refer it to the Andhra Pradesh state legislature.
5. In Hyderabad, ministers from Seemandhra are gathering at the home of Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy to protest against the cabinet's plans. Mr Reddy also belongs to Seemandhra.
6. Though the Andhra Pradesh Assembly is meant to provide feedback on the resolution, the Centre is not obliged to accept its opinion.
7. A group of union ministers will be assigned to figure out, in consultation with local leaders, how to divide water, power and revenue between the two states.
8. The cabinet includes three ministers from Seemandhra - Kavuri Sambasiva Rao, Pallam Raju and Kishore Chandra Deo. Jaipal Reddy is the only cabinet minister from Telangana and he has strongly supported the plan to make it a state.
9. The Congress has confronted serious dissent from its own leaders from Seemandhra.  The party has sey up a committee with four members, headed by Defence Minister AK Antony, to gather and address the concerns of local stake-holders.
10. Leaders from both Seemandhra and Telangana have met the committee and presented their views.